Consumer complaints related to the e-commerce sector recorded a spike

Consumers don’t seem satisfied with the majority of e-commerce websites as complaints related to the e-commerce sector have recorded a spike in the last few years.

Department of Consumer Affairs’ latest data says that the total number of complaints received on the National Consumer Helpline during 2017-18 was 59,402, which increased to 1,57,574 in 2020-21 and 1,83,851 in 2021-22.

Almost 50 per cent of them came from only five states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Bihar.

Having a maximum of 25,484 complaints in the e-commerce sector, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states followed by Maharashtra at 18,799 and Rajasthan at 15,620 in 2021-22.

The e-commerce industry has evolved and attained a foothold in the Indian market and picked up significant momentum during the past few years. The rapid proliferation of the digital economy has led to the growth of the e-commerce industry at a rapid pace which was further accelerated by compulsions on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To deal with consumer-related issues, the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020, which have been notified under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, are aimed at protecting consumers from unfair trade practices.

They require all e-commerce entities to establish a consumer grievance redressal mechanism, appoint a grievance officer for consumer grievance redressal and display the name, contact details, and designation of such officials on their platform.